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Duke Nukem: Zero Hour
| genre = Third-person shooter | modes = Single player Multiplayer | ratings = | media = Game Pak }} Duke Nukem: Zero Hour is a third-person shooter video game in the Duke Nukem series, developed by Eurocom for the Nintendo 64. The game uses a relatively large 32 megabyte cartridge and could also utilize the Expansion Pak to allow for better graphics, at the cost of slowing down the frame rate"The graphics on one hand look nice but when the expansion pak is used, the frame rate goes down the drain." - Gamegoldies review of D.N. Zero Hour 2008-11-15. It has a 4 player split-screen multiplayer mode that uses a first-person view. The plot revolves around time travelling aliens attempting to alter the course of history and eliminate Duke's ancestors. Locations, weapons, items, and clothing are relevant to the time period Duke is in. The game has an opening intro that explains the concept of the plot. The game has many plot elements that are much more mature and darker in theme than those of other games in the series, which are generally more light-hearted and fun. For example in one stage, Duke time-travels to the Victorian Era and finds the still-fresh murder scene of Mary Jane Kelly. She had been slain at her residence of 13 Miller's Court on November 9, 1888 by Jack the Ripper. Duke, of course, gets to take out Jack The Ripper for killing our chicks. In another, Duke must travel through an alternate time-line New York, which has been devastated by atomic warfare and most of humanity has been wiped out. Story Duke is called into action via the Government, aliens have once again landed and are wreaking havoc. Duke pummels the alien menace through the streets of New York with the help of some marines, and eventually gains access to the Statue of Liberty. Here, Duke discovers the alien's true plan, to go back in time and mess with historic events, hoping they can destroy Duke's colorful heritage, so that it would be easier to take out the Earth in the future. However, Duke manages to figure this out and unwittingly uses an alien time machine to go into the post-apocalyptic near-future, where the aliens have devastated the Earth with nuclear war, running humans to near-extinction. In this time zone, Duke battles the alien menace of the future, who have created an army of the undead from those who had died in the nuclear war's ensuing fallout. Duke eventually meets up with a small band of resistance fighters in the headquarters of the United States Army in New York City. There, they tell him that the aliens are indeed screwing with the Earth's history, so much that this future is just one of many. If Duke wants to restore peace to the Earth's history, he'll have to go back in time and fight for it. The resistance have managed to develop their own time machine in order to send Duke Nukem back in time to re-write the corrupted history, and destroy the aliens. Duke is sent back to the American Old West, where aliens have taken over in an effort to mine the Earth for its resources. In the Old West, due to technical difficulties, Duke must make do with whatever period weaponry he can find. However, they eventually manage to send a few of his weapons back after some tinkering. The aliens have begun creating super-soldiers in order to combat the human resistance, in the past and the future. After blowing up a ship containing the super-soldiers, Duke makes his way to the town of Roswell, New Mexico. There, he stops an alien mining project before they can succeed. Duke is then informed, that it's not just American history that is being altered, the aliens have also been to the Victorian Era of London. In the Victorian Era, Duke is plagued by the biological weaponry the aliens have been manufacturing. Zombies litter the streets. Duke finds his way onto a zeppelin, which he manages to escape by flying off in an aeroplane. However, Duke not being an experienced pilot crashes the plane almost immediately into the moat of a castle. Duke fights his way into the castle, which the aliens have taken over. In the castle, Duke confronts some new and tougher enemies, some of which are from the future. While exploring the castle, Duke stumbles upon the "brains" of the alien operation. After demolishing the castle, and apparently eliminating the alien threat, Duke is ready for some R'n'R. Unfortunately, the aliens are making one final push for world domination. The aliens put their time-meddling in overdrive and cause a rift in the space-time continuum, and now aliens from all of history are pouring into New York City in a final desperate attempt to destroy humanity. Once again fighting through the streets of New York City, Duke enters the alien mothership. He infiltrates the mothership, and destroys it. Upon it's destruction, he is confronted by the alien overlord, Zero. Duke has the final battle with Zero on the rooftops of the city. After killing the beast, it appears Duke has finally set things right. Duke cleaned up Manhattan from the alien menace, and gets ready to relax with his "reward". Time periods Duke Nukem: Zero Hour is set sometime in the near future, and there are four distinct time periods in which the game takes place: Present Day, Post-Apocalyptic Near-Future, Wild West and Victorian Era (London, 1888). Each time period has its own theme and weaponry. For example, Present Day has modern-day weapons such as automatic handguns, submachine guns and combat shotguns. The Wild West has revolvers and lever-action rifles, and features Cowboy and Native American Pigs. The Victorian Era has fictional, science-fiction weaponry such as the Voltaic Projector, and features Posh Pigs and zombies. Enemies and Bosses Alien Beasts These vicious monsters have only a single purpose: defending their alien masters to the death. They can take incredible amounts of damage before dying, move very fast, jump very high, and can claw you horribly at close range. On top of all this, it is reported that these beasts have the nasty ability to emit shrink rays. Apocalypse Cannibals The mutant flesh-hungry survivors of the apocalypse, these roam the shattered cities and desert wastelands of the first episode. They are cannibals: once human, they have devolved into sub-humans eating their own kind. They are slow moving and not too intelligent, although they are persistent. Armed with melee weapons like bats, pipes, bones, and even the occasional chainsaw, these flesh-eating morons have the potential to be extremely dangerous (especially in large numbers). You're best bet is an explosive or shotgun blast to the noggin. Enforcers With machine-gun blazing, the armored Enforcer can make fast business of dispatching any remaining human opposition. If they get close enough, they can spit a powerful gob of acid on you too. Powerful hind legs enable the Enforcer to leap to many places where an unsuspecting Duke may be caught off guard... so beware. The Enforcer may drop either SMGs or ammunition when it buys the alien freak farm. There are three vicious varieties of these particularly distasteful baddies. Take a gander below for details. Enforcer Captain Wearing dark red uniforms, these are similar to the basic Enforcer but are armed equipped with the 'wrist-mounted Phase Induced Teleporter Device (PITD)' which allows them to teleport. You'll want to keep an eye on the jetpack-bedecked Enforcer Captains cuz in later levels, they're apt to be dropping grenades on Duke's unsuspecting noodle. Battle Enforcer These alien misanthropes will wear black uniforms and be armed with either twin SMGs or twin blaster pistols. If Duke's got the right weapons, these guys can quickly become fodder. Cyborg Enforcers Take a Battle Enforcer and rebuild it with a range of cybernetic implants: an extra pair of arms, implant laser gattling guns, cyberoptic targeting, and bionic legs, and you've got a Cyborg Enforcer. These Cyborgs move faster, jump further, and are more accurate than normal Enforcers. Worse, they won't drop any weapons or ammo on dying. You're going to need a firm defensive strategy and some heavy power to withstand repeated attacks from these metallic mayhem bringers. Octabrain This character's abundant brain mass and specialized trifocal vision combine to make the Octabrain a formidable alien weapon against all sentient life on Earth. Their method of attack is a powerful blast of mental energy released against its prey, thus weakening and confusing its intended victim. If the victim doesn't die from the mind blast, the Octabrain's powerful razor sharp teeth are ready to finish the job. The Octabrain prefers dark and secluded habitats from which to wage its attack. A generally unprotected, though tough and leathery, body offsets their immense mental power. Keep an eye out for these psionic punks in dark or water-heavy areas. Keep moving to avoid their blasts and rip 'em a new one with your highest gauge weapon. Pig Cops The Pig Cops are mutated alien operatives positioned to suppress residual human opposition and to police the new centers of alien power on Earth. Their distinct warthog-like appearance and aggressiveness make them easy to spot but difficult to overcome. They brandish pump-action shotguns and have a special surprise ground level attack. These characters have extremely high intolerance to the presence of humans, and exhibit blind rage when they detect human scent. Also, protective body armor worn beneath their uniforms give them added endurance. When killed, Pig Cops may drop either their shotgun or body armor. Grunts You'll recognize this particular brand of pig cop by the Gray combat gear, black body armor, and shot gun. Don't let the similarity fool you, though: these, uh, guys are the embodiment of "ill tempered." Further, the shotgun blasts that normally kill their brethren will do little; you're best bet is to fall back on the SMGs. Riot Pigs With black full-body armor, a visored helmet, and a gas grenade launcher, it's hard to miss the Riot Pigs. Aliens are of course immune to this gas, so Duke cannot use it as a weapon against them. Naturally, you'll have to equip yourself with a gas mask to avoid being damaged by these lingering green gasses. Again, SMGs are your best bet against them. Plague Zombies Corpses reanimated by the alien virus of the Victorian time zone. They need fresh human tissue to keep the virus working in their decomposing bodies. They are slow moving and not too intelligent, although they will be persistent. They will be able to absorb a lot of damage, making them dangerous if they can corner Duke. Some may be armed with melee weapons such as clubs made from wood or bones. Recon Patrol Vehicle (RPV) This sleek and deadly anti-gravity powered reconnaissance vehicle is operated by specially trained Pig Cops for the purpose of maintaining alien control in areas of human resistance. The attack mode of this craft is aerial strafing by side mounted laser cannons. The pilots of these craft are protected by an automatic pilot ejection mechanism that activates milliseconds before impact during a crash. Bomber RPVs will have a new attack mode: bombing runs, which scatter gas or explosive grenades around. Gunship RPVs will make strafing attacks with plasma or laser weapons. Scuttlers These evil little multi-legged insectile parasites will scurry along the floors and ceilings, before dropping onto Duke and stinging or biting him. Their movement and attack modes make them a different style of opponent…the extremely dangerous style! Scuttlers are spawned by a larger alien creature called the Spawner. This will continue to produce new Scuttlers as the old ones are destroyed, so taking out this monster will be especially important. Sentry Drone Mechanized death -- there's no better way to describe these airborne alien watchdogs. By the time you hear their high pitched whine as they engage their anti-grav propulsion units, it's probably too late. The drone will swiftly collide with its target and explode with great force. Latest reports suggest that the drones have been refitted with defensive evasion microchips. Patrol Drones will perform a different function, following a predefined patrol route and shooting at anyone they encounter with plasma or rocket weapons. Duke can therefore blow them away or simply wait for them to pass before continuing. Underwater Drones which will home in on Duke, firing torpedoes. Sentry Guns Mounted on tripods, these bad boys will stop you in your track with rounds of plasma, Scatter Lasers, and grenades. Like OJ always says, "Look out!" Sharks You just have to love any sea-faring baddie that looks and acts like the real thing…right down to its ability to smell blood! If Duke's wounded in the water, they're going to be on you like stink on, uh, stuff. Get rid of 'em quick before a feeding frenzy ensues! Snakes Rattlesnakes: This slithery jerk-face offers up a potentially lethal poisonous attack in the confines of Old West levels. These are too easy to underestimate…make sure you don't, or you'll end up on Boot Hill! Watersnakes: Like the Rattler, only a bit bigger and found in the Victorian era. Fortunately, they'll only be a menace while you're underwater…but if they get you, you might be in trouble. Spore Eggs These gas-filled death spores are exactly what you DON'T want to accidentally blow up. They're usually found in groups and - when shot - release cloud after cloud of poisonous gas. Time your attack on them wrong, and you could wind up the victim of green gas death…and no one wants that. Zombie Knights These monsters are sewn-together reanimated corpses wearing rusty collections of armor plates and ragged chain mail. Armed with swords and axes, they are relatively slow-moving but dangerous in close combat. Their undead nature and armor make them especially resistant to low-power attacks, but they are especially prone to explosive attacks. References External links *Duke Nukem Zero Hour at Eurocom *IGN review *GameGoldies review * Category:Games